Baby Dragon Day Two Recap

Group photo in Santa Barbara on Day Two (THANKS CHAD!)

Where do I even begin. Day One was such an incredibly moving experience that Day Two was poised to be a bittersweet continuation and a momentary point of departure from an amazing community of people at the same time. Whereas Day One offered the promise of a Day Two, I knew that when Day Two was over it could be months before I saw some of these old and new friends again.

  J.R., Tom, Susan, Scott, Chad, and Larry before the cyclists depart on Day Two

 Sunrise in Santa Barbara
 

I started Day Two riding mostly with Justin and Cesar, two incredible, unique individuals who I have come to respect so much as people and as athletes. Alan was keeping up pretty well through town, too. We were Cyclists # 2, 3, and 4 – interchangeably – for the first part of the day. We rode out from Santa Barbara together, passing through town early enough that even early churchgoers had not yet hit the streets. We arrived at the Pacific Ocean to the sight of a glorious, radiant rising sun taking its place above the palm trees and surf. As we continued along the route, we took in the views of the coastal mountain ranges, beachside parks, and quiet neighborhoods.

 Susan [seriously] makes the best PB&J bagels... I said that before, I know.

At Rest Stop 1 we were met by Susan, Hunter’s mother, who joined us for the weekend as we honored Hunter’s life and fought so hard mile after mile to help ensure that people enduring similar battles like his would have a place to turn for help. What a joy it was to see her again and so early in the day!  I’ll come back to Susan in a moment, after recapping some of the rest of the day.

I started the second leg with Justin, but fell back a bit for some solitude. As we rode along the ocean, I pedaled with a heavy heart – cranking out each mile with the memory of friends and loved ones fueling each pedal stroke. The ocean was beautiful that morning and the sky that opened across the horizon ahead was as clear as I sought to make my mind. What a joy it was to be out there on the open road.

 I didn't know he was capable of it, but we got Leo to goof off at the Water Stop

 J.R. arrives at the Water Stop

Shortly after arriving in Ventura, I arrived at the Water Stop… Bart and Sarah were there with big smiles on. The Water Stop is where I lost all control of my time. As was mentioned in the Day One recap, I like to ride hard and play hard. It’s my custom to take my time at stops and then power through the next stretch, passing most everyone who left the stop before me. I spent a lot of time at the Water Stop, having been rushed out of Rest Stop 1 due to planned route closures.

 Bart and Sarah at lunch

I ended up riding most of the rest of the day – at least until the final rest stop – alone. The stretch into Rest Stop 2 found me catching up with Mark and Cesar, if I remember correctly. Lunch was an oasis! I REALLY took my time at lunch. I ate, talked with friends, got an amazing massage and some great personalized sports medicine tips from Tony (THAT MAN IS A-MAZING!), and hit the road.

The remainder of the day was HOT HOT HOT! Temps topped out around 115’F. I wouldn’t normally ride in that, but I pushed ahead for the cause. Being on a fully supported ride made it a little easier, too, having shaded rest stops for refueling, hydrating, and regulating core temperature by spending some time in the shade.

The thought of climbing Santa Susanna Pass coming out of the final rest stop had me a little crazed, but after a long break, plenty to drink, a little massage, and some encouragement from J.R. and others, I hopped on my bike and joined Tony and Ignacio for the climb – a little under 1,000 feet in a mile. I made easy work of the climb – THANK GOD for all that training I did on South Mountain! It was nice to see the top. From the top we had about 12 miles, mostly downhill, remaining to the finish line.

 The top of Santa Susanna Pass... What a welcome sight!

But for a little detour back up Box Canyon Road with Tony, I really enjoyed the last stretch. The hills were behind me. The heat was out of mind. The end was in sight.

 Jackie crossing the finish line

 Julie at the finish line... She didn't look too upset to not be riding in the heat!

 Larry does his best Mr. Miagi... "Oh Daniel-son!"

Rolling across the finish line, I found Julie, J.R., Larry and other friends assembled. I hydrated, pigged out on some mac and cheese, and EVENTUALLY went to pick up my car. Dustin and I convoyed back to J.R.’s and showered while J.R. and the staff/roadies packed everything up. Afterward we went for dinner and some time hanging out at Chad’s place. I went back and forth from being really full of energy to being absolutely exhausted, but had a great time.

If I can take a brief moment to talk about what this meant to me, I hope you’ll bear with me.

I never had the opportunity to know Hunter, but I have been deeply impacted by the mental illness and addiction of someone very dear to me. The weekend offered so many opportunities to think about how fortunate I am to still have her in my life. I’m not sure things had to turn out the way that they did, but the love of my family brought us through in the end. I participated in this ride for the most part for her, remembering how hard it was for us to find help and praying that my efforts and my dedication to making some sort of difference would make it easier for someone else out there to find some help to survive in the face of addiction.

I rode to breathe fire into the fight.

I know that many of the amazing people I rode with this weekend have faced their own struggles with mental illness, addiction, and homelessness. I am so humbled by their strength and courage. I have heard several of them speak of their experiences. I am so proud to have shared this experience with you. I proudly consider you family. To each of you – all of you – I want to make known how very much I love you.

That love extends to the roadies, staff, and the many generous friends that made this weekend possible. Not the least of which is Hunter’s mother, Susan. Your presence on the route, your honest and inspiring words in Santa Barbara, and even your masterfully created PB&J (which was truly the best on the route) stood as an example of the love I have experienced within this community. I am so glad we met. And I want to give a very special thank you to J.R. I know how much of your soul, your time, and your energy has been invested in making this event happen. But it didn’t just happen. This event is a living thing, supported by each of us. I am so proud of you for helping to give it life. Well done, mister!

With the Baby Dragon 180 Ride, which was REALLY 185 miles, behind me, I have completed 836 miles of training for AIDS LifeCycle 10. And now, the real fundraising push for $11,000 begins. If you didn’t take the opportunity to contribute for the Baby Dragon 180 Ride, I hope you will contribute generously to my AIDS LifeCycle 10 at http://www.danmaxey.com. You can make a HUGE impact by making a recurring monthly gift. $300 can help a lot of people. Broken up into 10 monthly payments of $30, it doesn’t seem so bad. And if your employer matches charitable contributions, you can potentially double the impact of your contribution.

Either way, please give as much as you can. Thirty years have passed since the first diagnosed cases of HIV and AIDS. We must do what needs to be done to bring an end to this horrible disease. Enough is enough.

Peace.

Baby Dragon Final Riders Arriving at the Finish Line

Last riders arriving each of the two days of the ride!

Day One: Arriving in Santa Barbara

Day Two: Arriving at the Finish Line in West Hills, CA

Baby Dragon Day One Recap

Today started early... Early in an inhumane way. I was up a little before 3am this morning to get some last things taken care of before heading over to the starting location for the ride with J.R.

 J.R. gives the safety speech to an attentive crowd of cyclists

We had a lot of things to set up and at one point it seemed that with each minute one new rider or roadie was arriving - most of us excited but a little hesitant to show any immediate sign of it at such an early hour. It was so good to see so many friends.

We started the ride in West Hills and departed for our first rest stop at Santa Susana Park in Simi Valley. The first stretch took us over 13 miles of mostly developed land. I had a really good start to the day and was the fourth cyclist to reach the first rest stop. I ended up being held back a little bit at the start of the day and throughout by "lallygagging" at each of the rest stops. It's a common enough criticism, but I don't come out and join these rides for the cycling alone. I do this as much for the community and getting to know new, amazing people.

Between Rest Stops 1 and 2 I got my first and only flat of the day; and when I stopped to change the tube, another rider, Gary, I did not know today stopped with me to help me with the task. Gary and I rode with each other to the next stop in Moorpark.

Moorpark ended up being a shorter stop for me - a refueling. I got back out on the road with Cruz, Shawn, and a handful of others who had passed me earlier while I was changing my tube.

The stretch before lunch was a good challenge. We rode up the back side of Grimes Canyon (in headwinds) and then came down the winding switchbacks on the other side. The view was stunning. At the bottom we connected to a stretch that was familiar to me from the Paul Hulse Memorial Century Ride we did with the PosPeds in April. I was on this stretch by myself for most of the distance into lunch, which gave me a lot of time to sort out things floating around in my brain and why I am participating in this ride.

After some distance of riding, I could see Max on the horizon and ended up getting within 100 yards of him, but never caught up. Instead, I stopped with a few friends who were working on a flat before we all rode into lunch together.

Lunch was in Santa Paula. Ginger Brewlay was there to serve it up and provided constant entertainment, as did Phil in the Baby Dragon costume. I stayed there for awhile talking with EVERYONE before I left with Max to ride out along the next stretch into Ventura. Max and I just met yesterday, but had a good chance to talk and get acquainted over the 18 miles between stops. It was nice to have him along for that stretch of the route.

 It's best to not ask questions... Or to caption this one - to protect identities

 Phil the Baby Dragon attempts to eat Justin for lunch...

J.R. and me at lunch before I took off

Rest Stop 3 was in the Marina in Ventura. I spent quite a bit of time there, too... Are you seeing the trend? It was there that I got to talk for awhile with Hunter Allen's mother and also with "Uncle" Larry. Max went ahead on the next stretch and I waited, but not quite long enough for Cruz and Shawn to leave. So I was solo for the next stretch into the Water Stop, which I did not intend to stop for, but had to due to the intense, disgusting, challenging, shitty (I can swear here, right?), make-me-want-to-hit-someone headwinds coming from the north. So I stopped and refueled with Bart and Sarah, talked with J.R. for a little bit, waited for the others and took off to the final stop. I TRUCKED from the water stop to Rest Stop 4. The winds were not as bad, although still present, and the roads were much better. It was a good ride.

Rest Stop 4 was in Carpinteria, a beautiful little area along the coastal mountains. Stunning views of both the ocean and the mountains kept me entertained. I didn't spend much time at Rest Stop 4... There were no shirtless, dancing men like the rest stops of ALC and I just wanted to get on the road to the hotel.

The last stretch in was about 15 miles and I just wanted to be in the shower, jacuzzi, eating dinner... You name it. Anything but riding!

I caught up with Justin and Cesar on the final stretch and we rode in together. We had made it! 98 miles!!!

Justin, Cesar, Jackie, Gary, me, and Dustin at the Lemon Tree Hotel in Santa Barbara

We had dinner at the nearby American Red Cross. Chicken, some kind of AMAZING pasta, etc. There was a dinner program - some of which I caught on camera and will recap later. But the feature was the hot tub AFTER dinner. Good time to chat with friends old and new before bed. It was a nice way to end the day.

Some of the guys in the jacuzzi

Total distance today was 98 miles! Tomorrow, we'll ride about 80 back to the starting spot! It's going to be a good day!!!

DAN MAXEY: BLOGGING FROM THE BABY DRAGON 180 RIDE in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA NEXT WEEKEND

Next weekend, I will be riding in the Baby Dragon 180 Ride from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara and back in support of the LA Gay and Lesbian Center's programs for mental health, crystal meth addiction recovery, and homeless LGBTQ youth.

I will be blogging from the road and hope you will join me and the rest of the Baby Dragon family as we ride to give LGBTQ youth in Los Angeles a helping hand. I will be posting photos, video, and text updates.

More information on the Baby Dragon 180 Ride is available at http://www.babydragon180ride.org